The Crusade
by Darth Kieduss the Wise
Summary: The November 9, 2001 attacks from the book "The Mirage" by Matt Ruff.
1. Intro

**Based on the book "The Mirage" by Matt Ruff. It's a good read, check it out. This is a detailed version of the book's prologue.**

On the evening of November 9, 2001, the Arabian Bureau of Investigation were called in to Kuwait International Airport in Farwaniya to examine two check-in bags. The bags had missed their flight, an Arabian Airlines 767 bound for Algiers. The owner of the luggage was Eric Robert Rudolph, a ring leader in that days' terrible events. Inside one of his bags, the ABI made an extraordinary discover.

Along with flight training manuals and a small Catholic copy of the Bible, they found a multi-page document, handwritten in English with frequent Latin incantations. It was sort of a hijackers' manual and contained a justification for the attack, written by those who orchestrated it.

_"Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called this world. Afterwards begins the happy life."_

Among the hijackers victims of the bright, cool, November morning were the passengers and crew of Arabian Airlines Flight 11, the first of the four planes to crash that day.

This is the last hour of Arabian 11, from 7:46 a.m. when Rudolph boarded the plane to 8:46 a.m. when the Boeing 767 struck the Tigris Tower of the Tigris and Euphrates World Trade Center in Baghdad. A startling new picture emerges of precisely how the crew relayed valuable information about their attackers to the outside world.

It was the first act in a long war...

**If you don't like, don't hate. Just leave. Will continue with next chapter in 2020.**

**Merry Christmas**


	2. Take Off

**In the book "The Mirage", along with being Christian terrorists, the World Christian Alliance terrorists are also labeled as White Supremacist. Indeed, many IRL white supremacists claim to be Christian (which is as contradictory as Muslims eating pork). However, in this story, the terrorists will be as non-racist as the media would portray jihadists. No racism, just plain old religious batshit craziness (like Pat Robertson). **

6 a.m.

It was an ordinary morning in the United Arab States with promises of empty highways and clear skies. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

In a Kuwait Airport hotel, 31 year old Eric Rudolph shaved himself for what would be the last time. He and Paul Jennings Hill were making their final preparations for Flight 11. Like 17 other members of the World Christian Alliance (WCA) waking up in Arabian hotel rooms this morning, they were carrying a letter from WCA's leadership, encouraging them to be resolute in their mission.

_This battle is for the sake of God and our nation. Et tibi Pater. This is not an offensive attack against the enemy. With this operation being a counter-attack, we are only fighting by the rules of engagement that were introduced by the aggressors. They started this war and we sure will fight back. Check your weapon before you leave. You must make your knife sharp so you do not discomfort your animal during the slaughter. Deus Lo Vult._

36 year old Eric Robert Rudolph was from of the Christian States of America. He briefly served in the CSA Army during the Mexican Gulf War. Leaving the Army at Specialist/E-4, he already had been awarded many medals, including the Bronze Star Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southeast Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Louisiana Liberation Medal. After a few years of missing church, Rudolph had reverted back to the Christian Identity of his childhood after agreeing to attend an Easter service for his parents' sake. The sermon he heard was enough to bring him back into the Christian fold. In his post-army years in the mid-90s, Rudolph became more and more radical. He was enraged when the United Arab States intervened in the Mexican Gulf War, which he felt was strictly a Western Hemisphere affair. After the alleged _accidental _shooting down of Virginia Airlines Flight 655 over Algiers, a former army buddy invited him to a few World Christian Alliance meetings. There, Rudolph was exposed to more radicalism and became a full fledged member.

The WCA ordered him to travel to Iraq in the UAS to attend flight training school. In contrast to his life in America, Rudolph was very modest. He knew when to laugh, when to make a joke. He was very polite; he never swore.

7:46 a.m.  
KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  
FARWAINYA, KUWAIT, UAB

With just a few passengers still to board, Arabian Airlines Flight 11 is thirteen minutes away from takeoff. Neerja Bhanot is one of the most experienced of the cabin crew. An immigrant from India, she had been with the airline since 1986. She wasn't scheduled to work today, but she was flying so she could join her parents on a vacation in New Delhi, boarding a connecting flight in Algiers. Her coworker Hassa bint Salman Al Saud had two children and was married to Beirut police officer. Had the United Arab States not united as a republic, she would've been a princess as part of the House of Saud.

The pilots went through the typical pre-flight checks.

"Hydraulics?" Mustafah Kamal asked.

"Set," Captain Mohommed Rayyan responded. "Windows, doors..."

First Officer Mustafah Kamal was around 40 years old and married with three children. He previously served in the UASAF and briefly served as a sky marshal. Captain Mohommed Rayyan was also an Air Force pilot at 52 with a family of his own. He loved flying from his seven years in the Air Force and his subsequent Arabian Airlines years.

KUWAIT ATC ROOM

Back in the air traffic control room, Ahmed bin Salmund sat down for another day on the job. He was briefly married to one of Saddam Hussein's daughters. But when he fought out his father-in-law was a murderous mobster, he quickly divorced her and tried his best to avoid him. Rumors were Saddam had placed a bounty on Ahmed's head "for breaking the heart of my beloved daughter" but Hussein repeatedly denied these allegations.

Kuwait ATC, along with Baghdad and Riyadh and others, were some of the busiest in the world. But the job was easier when the weather and visibility were as good as they were good today. In 12 minutes, Arabian 11 will take off into Kuwait controller's airspace.

ARABIAN FLIGHT 11

The last passengers were now boarding Arabian Flight 11.

Aisha Abboud, the flight's purser, and Fatma Najjer would share duties in the First Class cabin.

Among the passengers was Abdul Abullah Yahia, a brilliant and wealthy grocery shop owner. He grew up in Algeria, but at 12 he and his family moved to Baghdad. By his early twenties, he had become a captain in the UAS's elite counter-terrorism force. A flight attendant offered him a choice of champagne or orange juice. A devout Muslim, he took the orange juice. He was seated directly in front of one of the hijackers, Scott Philip Roeder.

One of the last passengers to board was Eric Robert Rudolph.

_When you board the airplane, make a prayer to God. As the Paul the Apostle said, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."_

_Our actions this day are motivated by our recognition that the Arabian government are a Government of Murder. Because it is murder, we believe that deadly force is indeed justified in an attempt to stop it. We do not claim this as a right but rather consider it the moral duty to come to the defense of our fellow man when he is under attack. This is an essential concept embedded in Western Civilization - that we are our brother's keeper._

_When you step inside the plane and sit in your seat, be busy with the constant remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ. God wants all the faithful to be steadfast when facing the enemy. Therefore, remember God constantly so that you may be successful._

Rudolph took his seat, and looked back at Roeder. Roeder nodded at his appointed commander.

With the arrival of Eric Rudolph and Michael F. Griffin, a fellow Florida native, all five hijackers were now in position. In the front passenger row of the aircraft were were Paul Jennings Hill and James Charles Kopp. Paul had a clear view of the cockpit door. A flight attendant opened the cockpit door to attend to the pilots. Paul kept a watchful eye. When the flight attendant returned and closed the door, Paul said something to Kopp, who nodded.

This was a military-style mission that they were on. They did their research and gathered enough intelligence. Rudolph had flown enough test flights. Everything that they did was specifically tailored to accommodate their objectives. Seating arrangements was crucial. There were Hill and Kopp sitting at the front row, left to the primary aisle. Rudolph and Griffin sitting to the right at the aisle, at the peak point. Then there was Roeder, sitting to the left of the aisle, further back.

7:54 a.m.

Arabian Airlines Flight 11 had received their clearance to push back from the gate. Rudolph went through his own writings in his head.

_When the aircraft moves, even slightly, pray for God to lead us during the travel. Be attentive on this journey._

"May we have your attention as we review the safety features of the 767 aircraft," Neerja Bhanot announced over the intercom. "To fasten the seat belts, insert the metal clip into the buckle."

While the flight attendants had contact with all five of the hijackers, all five were received vigorous training back in the Denver camps. They were instructed to blend in, to play by the rules and do nothing to arouse suspicion.

_Do not show signs of confusion or nervous tension. Be calm, young one. Be happy. Optimistic. Because you on a journey that God wills._

"If the cabin pressure changes, an oxygen mask will appear from the panel above you," Bhanot continued, the other flight attendants demonstrating the use of the mask. "Pull the mask towards you and place the mask over your nose and mouth."

_Smile over the face of hardship, young ones, for we are on a journey for God. When __the journey is complete, He will take us into His arms and welcome us into His Eternal Paradise, where there will be no sorrow, nor pain, nor weeping. Peace and joy forever more._

"Please take the time to review the safety features card located in your seat pocket."

Rudolph did as suggested. He pulled out the card and examined the outline of the plane. He nudging Griffin and pointed at a part of the plane map. Griffin nodded.

_Romans 2:6 states that 'God will repay each person according to what they have done'. He will protect them and make their tasks easier. He will ensure their success and victory. __Remember the Scriptures. Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Blessed be the Lord, my strength, which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight. My goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer. My shield and He in Whom I trust._

While Flight 11 was awaiting for clearance to take off, Eric Rudolph received one last phone call on his cell phone. It is not known what is said in a call that lasted barely a minute, but it was clear that the caller was Ted Nugent, the hijack leader waiting to board Iraqi Air Flight 25, which was taxiing just a few hundred yards away. He was calling from a payphone. Iraqi 25 was also bound for Algiers, but would crash into Euphrates Tower of the Tigris and Euphrates World Trade Center.

Rudolph and Nugent became close friends during the planning of the attacks in Denver, and may have been saying good bye to one another while also confirming that the assault on the Tirgris and Euphrates World Trade Center was on.

What could drive Rudolph and the hijackers to plan and execute such a cold blooded attack and what could possibly even attempt to justify it? The answer to both questions lies not in Christianity, but in a sect of ancient beliefs practiced only by a tiny sect of radical Christians. This faction called themselves Evangelicals. Evangelicals believed that the way to implement Christianity was by force, through violence. These were the Neo-Crusaders.

Crusaders see themselves as Christian holy warriors and they viewed any act of indiscriminate murder as justified so long as God's name was invoked. This of course was ignoring the pacifist teachings of Jesus. They would've crashed the planes no matter who was on it. They were on a mission and were determined to fulfill it. These Crusader hijackers represented an aberration of Christianity and an extremist interpretation of Biblical teachings. Pat Robertson manipulated these men and women to be trained to be weapons. Even if all the passengers on the plane were devout Christians, it would not matter to hijackers. Other Christians did not matter to them. What mattered was that ideology, that perception of what was right.

7:59 a.m.

_"Arabian 11, heavy, wind is 1-0-0 at 10 knots. Cleared to takeoff, runway 0-9."_

"Roger Tower, cleared for takeoff at Runway 0-9, Arabian 11," Mustafa responded.

CABIN

As the plane prepared for takeoff, Rudolph closed his eyes in meditation. He didn't move a muscle as the plane lurched forward.

_Then the aircraft takes off. This is the moment that both groups come together. So remember God in Romans 12 'Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.' Pray for yourself and all your brothers and sisters that they will be victorious and hit their targets. Ask God to grant us martyrdom facing the enemy, not running away from it, and for Him to grant you patience and that anything that happens to you is for Him._

Rudolph finally opened his eyes and took a deep breath as he could hear noises of the landing gear being retracted.

"Deus Vult," he whispered.

**Deus Vult, Infidel.**


End file.
